January 16, 2012
Durham School Services Employees Volunteer at Alton Elementary in Brenham, Texas
The Company’s “Adopt-a-School” Program Focuses on Giving Back to the Community
WARRENVILLE, Ill. – Every Tuesday, Cheryl Tiemann, general manager at Durham School Services student transportation in Brenham, Texas, heads over to Alton Elementary, not to drive kids, but to read with them. Eddy Minze, Safety Training Supervisor at Durham, does the same on Thursdays. Tiemann and Minze volunteer as mentors in the Brenham Independent School District HOSTS reading intervention program at Alton Elementary school. HOSTS invites caring, community volunteers to spend time each week with students who are having difficulty reading and encourage them to become better readers. The HOSTS program motto: TO SUCCEED YOU MUST READ.
Alton Elementary serves students in prekindergarten through the fourth grade. Tiemann and Minze work with first graders. “Sometimes we read to the kids, and sometimes they read to us,” says Tiemann. “It’s very rewarding to know you are making a difference in their lives.
The program pairs reading mentors with children, on a one-to-one basis. “It’s a great bunch of people,” Minze says of the HOSTS volunteers. “Everyone is really dedicated to helping the kids.”
“I want to thank Durham School Services for their support of the HOSTS program at Alton,” says Fabian Swartz, HOSTS teacher at Alton Elementary. “Our community volunteers make all the difference in having a successful HOSTS program. Our students are going to be helped in reading because of these volunteers’ dedication to our school.”
Durham School Services has been providing student transportation for the Brenham Independent School District since 1995. The volunteer efforts of Tiemann and Minze are part of Durham School Services’ Adopt-a-School program, which encourages employees to volunteer and make a difference in the communities and schools they serve. The program supports one of the company’s Primary Values of advancing the social, environmental and economic conditions in the communities in which it operates.
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About Durham School Services
Durham School Services is a leading provider of student transportation consistently recognized for its outstanding safety record. Durham partners with school districts in 30 states and operates a fleet of nearly 13,000 buses. Our success rests with our dedicated employees who live our mission: “Getting kids to school safe, on time, and ready to learn.” For more information, visit www.durhamschoolservices.com.